What is Daniil Miromanov?

[Savvy27]

This is a question that has been nagging at me ever since I heard Boomer, Pinder and Warrener discussing Miromanov on Barnburner and basically dismissing him as a top 4 D. It's certainly a fair question and one that is critically important for the Flames going forward.

GP: 20 3G 4A 7P +/- 0 PPP2 TOI/G: 21:15
Shots/G: 2

He played his first game for the Flames on March 9th and from that point on he was one of the Flames top defensemen across the board.

Rank among Flames D in brackets
Points: 7 (2nd)
+/-: 0 (1st)
TOI/G: 21:15 (3rd)
PPP: 2 (2nd)
Shots: 40 (2nd)
xGF/60: 0.36 (1st on the Flames and 3rd in the entire NHL)
GF%: 55.30 (2nd)
Relative xGF [DM on-ice - DM off-ice]: 7.7% (1st)
Possession: 56.7% (1st)

Miromanov was also very consistent regardless of who he played with, although he played with Weegar almost the entire time. Every pairing that featured him was high-performing in terms of xGF%:

Miromanov - Weegar: 53.5% (296 mins)
Miromanov - Hanley: 72.7% (27 mins)
Miromanov - Kylington: 71.4% (19 mins)
Miromanov - Andersson: 66.7% (12 mins)

Weegar is a great defenceman but he really struggled comparatively when playing Andersson as they only had a 48.3% xGF, so I don't think it is just Weegar. However, Weegar also did really well with Zadorov before the trade too.

The Weegar-Miromanov pairing was really good compared to the rest of the league too. For D pairs that played over 200mins together (183 in total) they were ranked 50th, which was only 4 slots back of Hanifin-Tanev.

Individually he has some great indicators compared to the rest of the league:
26th Expected GF% 55.3%
4th in relative xGF% [xGF%-xGA%] +7.7%
16th in 5v5 Possession: 56.7%
7th in 5v5 Relative Possession: +7.7%
52nd in Points: 7
57th in TOI/G: 21:15

Some less flattering areas of his game include physicality and shot blocking:
Hits per 60: 0.7 (last on the Flames)
Blocked shots per 60: 3.99 (last on the Flames)
PPGF per 60: 4.32 (last amongst Flames D during his time with the Flames)
SHTOI per 60: 0.04 (last)

From this information, I'd say that he is a top 4 D man at 5v5. He played a ton of minutes for a team that was third last in the entire NHL during his tenure and when he was out there the team was able to control more of the play and break even in GF/GA. Mackenzie Weegar thrived while playing with him as well.

They didn't even try to use him on the penalty kill, which prevents us from evaluating his contribution there, but also suggests that the coaches do not see his skillset as a fit for that role.

I'm curious what other people think about him. After all, the Flames extended his contract and put him in a position to succeed right away. I'm optimistic about the Weegar-Miromanov pairing going into next season so far as I believe they have one top 4 pairing.

[surferguy]

He is a man

[dammage79]

As far as 1st impressions go I think you outlined it nicely.

The fact that he managed to do that with the Flames post deadline and after a serious injury and long recovery likely points toward Miromanov becoming a solid top 4 d man.

He's going to need a strong injury free offseason to get to where he wants to be but I only see upside. The fact the jump off point for him was strong is awesome.

[TheScorpion]

Good player. Really good player.

[GUnit]

I think he's a bottom 3 def, seemed to get better and more comfortable as he got more games in. For a guy nobody heard of before the trade I'd say so far so good.

[Flamescuprun2018]

Originally Posted by Savvy27

This is a question that has been nagging at me ever since I heard Boomer, Pinder and Warrener discussing Miromanov on Barnburner and basically dismissing him as a top 4 D. It's certainly a fair question and one that is critically important for the Flames going forward.

GP: 20 3G 4A 7P +/- 0 PPP2 TOI/G: 21:15
Shots/G: 2

He played his first game for the Flames on March 9th and from that point on he was one of the Flames top defensemen across the board.

Rank among Flames D in brackets
Points: 7 (2nd)
+/-: 0 (1st)
TOI/G: 21:15 (3rd)
PPP: 2 (2nd)
Shots: 40 (2nd)
xGF/60: 0.36 (1st on the Flames and 3rd in the entire NHL)
GF%: 55.30 (2nd)
Relative xGF [DM on-ice - DM off-ice]: 7.7% (1st)
Possession: 56.7% (1st)

Miromanov was also very consistent regardless of who he played with, although he played with Weegar almost the entire time. Every pairing that featured him was high-performing in terms of xGF%:

Miromanov - Weegar: 53.5% (296 mins)
Miromanov - Hanley: 72.7% (27 mins)
Miromanov - Kylington: 71.4% (19 mins)
Miromanov - Andersson: 66.7% (12 mins)

Weegar is a great defenceman but he really struggled comparatively when playing Andersson as they only had a 48.3% xGF, so I don't think it is just Weegar. However, Weegar also did really well with Zadorov before the trade too.

The Weegar-Miromanov pairing was really good compared to the rest of the league too. For D pairs that played over 200mins together (183 in total) they were ranked 50th, which was only 4 slots back of Hanifin-Tanev.

Individually he has some great indicators compared to the rest of the league:
26th Expected GF% 55.3%
4th in relative xGF% [xGF%-xGA%] +7.7%
16th in 5v5 Possession: 56.7%
7th in 5v5 Relative Possession: +7.7%
52nd in Points: 7
57th in TOI/G: 21:15

Some less flattering areas of his game include physicality and shot blocking:
Hits per 60: 0.7 (last on the Flames)
Blocked shots per 60: 3.99 (last on the Flames)
PPGF per 60: 4.32 (last amongst Flames D during his time with the Flames)
SHTOI per 60: 0.04 (last)

From this information, I'd say that he is a top 4 D man at 5v5. He played a ton of minutes for a team that was third last in the entire NHL during his tenure and when he was out there the team was able to control more of the play and break even in GF/GA. Mackenzie Weegar thrived while playing with him as well.

They didn't even try to use him on the penalty kill, which prevents us from evaluating his contribution there, but also suggests that the coaches do not see his skillset as a fit for that role.

I'm curious what other people think about him. After all, the Flames extended his contract and put him in a position to succeed right away. I'm optimistic about the Weegar-Miromanov pairing going into next season so far as I believe they have one top 4 pairing.

Your stats are quite compelling (smallish sample size aside). He is top 4 without a doubt and trending to be above average in league top 4D.

His exit interview was one of the better ones yesterday. Very positive guy determined to get alot better next year. Feels his knee was 90% so thinks he can raise him game alot once 100%.

The 3rd buy low/diamond in rough success for Conroy this season. Sharangovich and Kuzmenko were the other two and both exceeded initial expectations. I would say the same for Miromanov (who was barely in top 6 with Vegas after injury).

[Roof-Daddy]

Those are all encouraging stats and even more so when you factor in that he's only ever played 49 NHL games, so in that respect he's not likely a finished product.

He's pretty good right now, and it's very likely he will only get better IMO

[Samonadreau]

Even if he rounds out as dependable #5 Dman with offensive upside that's a win for a throw-in in a trade.

He definitely belongs in the NHL.

[ben voyonsdonc]

I wonder if he ends up being a guy like Anton Babchuk. Never quite a top 3 D guy but valuable nonetheless.

[PepsiFree]

Good player, better comedic material because now we can laugh at the poster who trashed him as part of the Hanifin trade.

[CsInMyBlood]

Originally Posted by ben voyonsdonc

I wonder if he ends up being a guy like Anton Babchuk. Never quite a top 3 D guy but valuable nonetheless.

I think this is a good comparison.

Miromanov has a lot to work on the defensive side if the game, although I do think he got better as the season came to a close.

Hes raw, which is to be expected since he has just dipped his toe into the NHL. Can only help that his partner was Weegar, the guy played some really good hockey this season on both sides of the rink.

[Locke]

A Muscovite.

[Calgary4LIfe]

My one and only gripe about Miromanov is his acceleration/first step. He seems rather slow, and I think this is the biggest thing holding him back. Hope he can work on his explosiveness.


Other than that, especially when you take into consideration his overall NHL experience, he has been better than expected. I would say so far so good, and hopefully he comes in next season with more confidence. I think it is too early too tell if he is a top pairing material, middle pairing or bottom pairing - he does not have much NHL experience and was really coming off from injury anyway. I don't know if he has the ability to take a big step forward or not. I would just stay that so far, so good, and hopefully there is even more to come.

[Freddy]

For the last stretch of the season Weegar - Miromanov were definitely the Flames top pair, as I thought neither Andersson or Kylington were especially good. With a bit more opportunity I think Pachal is the best #4 currently on the roster. With a strong off season to prepare I think Miromanov could be the Flames best defenceman by the end of next season. No offence to Weegar as I love the package he brings but Miromanov’s skating and ability to rush the puck with composure are both a level above.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

With injuries and development curves and all that I’d never say never. I don’t see what others do though.

He’s not dynamic offensively he’s just offensive minded. Post deadline when you’ve traded everyone somebody has to play and it’s a trap to read in to that.

I see a fringe NHLer who is just a warm body for a while. If he blossoms, great bonus.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Only guy I’ve seen catch the puck and snap it like a football

Great creativity in support of the tank

[The Cobra]

I wouldn’t worry too much of a lack of blocked shots.

Players that lead in blocked shots often have terrible possession numbers.

They simply get more opportunities to black shots.

[GreenLantern2814]

This player reminds me a lot of Michael Stone.

Tough to object to that at $1M a year.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by surferguy

He is a man

And beneath the man, we find his nucleus.

[Rhett44]

He is a good number 7 who can fill in for a 3rd pairing spot, on a good team.

Sorry, don't see much more in him. He is good offensively and not good defensively.

He has great offensive talent but I don't think he is good enough to be a top 4. If he gets better defensively then I'd say he could be a 5 or 6 in the future.